Okaeri
by Anime Onnanoko
Summary: Gaara's struggle to becoming a better person, with the support of Temari and Kankurou helping him along the way. Oneshot


Hey Anime Onnanako here!

I've listened to this song thousands a times but a little while ago I was listening to it and parts of the song just reminded me of Gaara (A place to go home to; I used to think Adults only thought of themselves and were cunning; the thing that made me fight and go on was because there was a welcome home), so I decided to write a songfic! The story is told through flashbacks so if it jumps from one scene to the next it's just a different flashback. Oh and by the way the song lyrics are in italics.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Okaeri by Ayaka

Hope you enjoy the story!

* * *

><p><em>Okaeri Sweet Home (Welcome home, Sweet Home)<br>Kaeru bashou (A place to go home to)  
>Ai wo arigatou (Thank you for your love)<br>_

The sound of the door opening caused a blonde with her hair in four bunches, and a teen next to her with brown hair to shout 'Okaeri'.

The redhead shouted back, 'Tadaima.' He smiled slightly as the words left his lips. He was thankful that he had this home to come home to, and a brother and sister that loved him.

_Mata heiki na furi wo shite (Pretending to be alright again)  
>Kanashimi no iro wo nuritsubushite (To paint out the colour of sadness)<br>Waratte shimaun desu (I just laugh it off)  
>Shinjiru koto no taisetsusa (The importance of believing)<br>Wakatteru no ni iza to iu toki (Even if I understand it)  
>Utagatte shimaun desu (Well, there are times when I still doubt)<br>_

Gaara walked down the streets of Suna, Temari and Kankurou had asked him to meet them somewhere as they were going to go out for a meal tonight because Temari couldn't be bothered to cook. The redhead leant against a wall, arms crossed over his chest as he waited for his brother and sister. His name being said caused him to turn around, but he didn't see either Temari or Kankurou. It was then that a conversation nearby caught his attention.

"So you're telling me Gaara, the demon child has changed?" said one person.

"Apparently so, I've heard he hasn't been killing everyone he sets his eyes on anymore," said the second person.

"He's probably doing it to lure us into a false sense of security, and when we think it's safe he'll start attacking people again."

"I-" but the person was stopped by a hand on their shoulder, and turned round so very frightened that Gaara was standing behind them, but sighed when they spotted his two siblings.

"We heard what you said," Temari told them and the two men turned to look at one another.

"And we want you to stop saying stuff like that, okay," added Kankurou as he cracked his knuckles. The two men gulped and nodded before quickly hurrying off.

The two siblings turned round to see their younger brother leaning against a wall opposite them.

"Hey you okay?" asked Temari knowing he had most probably overheard them. Gaara just nodded.

Later that night after everyone had gone to bed; Gaara sat by his window staring at the out into the night time. His thoughts went back to what had happened earlier. Maybe it was useless trying to change, as it seemed that everyone still thought badly of him. He knew that their feelings wouldn't disappear overnight, but it had been over a year. The redhead shook his head; he knows that by changing he was doing the right thing. Even though other people didn't notice, the people that mattered to him had noticed.

_Karappo no karada (Times when my empty body)  
>Nagareru toki ni (Just flows by)<br>Fuiteshimaisou ni naru kedo (It makes me want to just lie down, but)  
>Anata no koto dakishimetai (I just want to hold you)<br>Kono kimochi katsugi ugokasu no (By carrying this feelings I can move on)  
><em>

A young redheaded shinobi walked through the streets of his village, on his way home from a mission. He watched the people him noticing that no one took any notice of him. At first he quite liked the fact that they weren't visibly scared of him anymore, but as time wore on it began to feel as though he was being ignored, like they just wanted him to disappear. He saw how shopkeepers would smile at people walking past, or villagers waving to each other in the street. But whenever someone locked eyes with him, their smile would disappear and their gaze would drop to the floor.

When Gaara gets home he just wants to lie down and stay there, feeling as though he is making no progress at all.

As soon as the door is unlocked the voices of his brother and sister reach his ears, "Okaeri." Just by that simple one word, it makes him feel better, makes it feel like he is actually getting somewhere. As he closes the door behind him he replies back,

"Tadaima," a small smile on his lips.

_Okaeri I'm home (Welcome home, I'm home)  
>Hitokoto de mitasareru kokoro (With one word my heart is satisfied)<br>Okaeri Sweet Home (Welcome home Sweet Home)  
>Kaeru bashou (Have a place to go home to)<br>Ai wo arigatou (Thank you for your love)  
>Sweet Home<br>_

Gaara came home from a particularly bad mission; everything from start to finish had gone wrong and of course they had all blamed him. A frown adorned his features as he entered his home.

"Okaeri," was shouted, sounding like it came from the kitchen. Just by them saying that one word has lifted Gaara's spirits a bit.

As he entered the kitchen, his elder brother waved at him and motioned for him to sit down. Moments later Temari placed dinner on the table, a round of 'itadakimasu' being said. A small smile had now replaced the frown, as the redhead was happy that he had a place to go home to, a place he belonged.

_*Jibun no koto bakari wo (I used to believe adults think)  
>Kangaeru otona wa zuruin da to (Only of themselves and they are cunning)<br>Omotteitan desu*  
>Demo hisshi de kaeru koto wo (But there are people desperately trying to go back)<br>Sakenderu hito mo irun dato (When screaming out loud)  
>Yatto shittan desu (I finally realized that)<br>*'Jibun' to 'Omotteitan desu' = I used to believe adults think only of themselves and they are cunning_

Sabaku no Gaara walked through the almost empty streets of Suna, he had had a late mission today and glad that it was finally over. It seemed that the elders would stop at nothing to test him, to see if he would react like he used to but he wasn't going to fall into their trap.

Since Gaara's eyes were glued to the dusty floor beneath him, and he was in a world of his own he didn't hear the person running towards him, but was abruptly brought back to reality when someone slammed into his shoulder. Gaara glared at the person's back as they ran ahead of him, not even a 'sorry' left the person's lips, not that it would because of who he had bumped into.

Being curious, Gaara wanted to know why this person was in such a hurry and decided to follow them. The dark haired man finally began to slow down as he neared a few houses. When he opened the door, Gaara's well trained ears caught one word 'okaeri'. The redhead realised that not all adults are bad; some are just like him wanting to get home to hear that one word.

_Atarimae no shiawase nanka (There's is no such thing as)  
>Kono sekai ni hitotsu mo nai (One natural happiness in this world)<br>Anata no tame, sou omoeta (For your sake I was able to realize that)  
>Kono kimochi katsugi ugokasu no (By carrying this feelings I can move on)<br>_

One of the main reasons why Gaara wanted to change after fighting Uzumaki Naruto was so that he could have a meaningful relationship with his siblings. When he's with them he feels really good and carefree like he doesn't want this moment to end, but when he's away from them that happiness he is feeling goes away. Gaara doesn't understand why this, why doesn't he feel this happiness all the time.

After having a talk with Temari, the redhead now understands more about happiness. Even though he is happy when with herself and Kankurou that happiness will end when the moment ends but when looking back on the memory the happy feeling will come back. Also there is more than one thing that can make a person happy.

The redhead now sits in his room, looking at the list of things that has made him happy in the last couple of months, a small smile on his face.

_Okaeri I'm home (Welcome home, I'm Home)  
>Supiido ga kasokushiteku mainichi (Accelerating the speed of everyday)<br>Okaeri Sweet Home (Welcome home Sweet Home)  
>Kawaranai zutto aru keshiki (There will always be this unchanging scenery)<br>Sweet Home  
><em>

As Gaara jumps from tree to tree he wishes that this bit of the day could somehow be fast forwarded. The mission had been relatively easy, and the other two ninja he had gone with weren't so bad, it was just a long journey there and back. The redhead's thought drifted back to what awaited him when he got home, his pace quickening slightly.

Gaara was brought out of his thoughts by walking into something hard; he rubbed his head and looked to see there was a door in front of him. He looked from side to side wondering how he had gotten here so fast; he didn't even remember entering the village. He must have been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realise how quick he was walking. The redhead then proceeded to open the door, a smile on his face at what awaited him inside.

_Sagashite nakushita kokoro no kizu ga (Search for the missing wound in your heart)  
>Tachimukau tsuyosa ni kawareta no wa (The thing that made me fight and go on)<em>

"_Okaeri" ga atta kara (Was because there was a "Welcome Home")  
><em>

A few months after the Chuunin Shiken had finished, and Gaara had begun to change there were times when he felt like just giving up. This was due to no matter what he had been doing the villagers still looked at him with disgust and fear in their eyes, didn't they see he was trying so hard.

After a hard day, the redhead trudged home, arms by his side, gaze glued to the floor. Upon opening the door 'okaeri' greets his eyes, and he looks up to see his brother and sister poking their heads out of the living room.

"Tadaima," he replied back and they smile before going back in the room.

A small smile graces Gaara's lips and realises, that he is able to carry on changing was because when he comes home he had two people who really do love him for who he was, and see how hard he is working. Just by them saying 'okaeri' every time he came home was proof.

_Okaeri I'm Home (Welcome home, I'm home)  
>Hitokoto de mitasareru kokoro (With one word my heart is satisfied)<br>Okaeri Sweet Home (Welcome home Sweet Home)  
>Kaeru bashou Yeah (A place to go home to yeah)<br>Ai wo arigatou (Thank you for your love)  
><em>

A blonde haired kunoichi with her hair pulled into four bunches at the back of her head stood in the kitchen in front of the stove preparing dinner. A presence behind her caused her to turn around.

"No Kankurou, dinner is not ready yet," she sighed turning back to the pot.

"Actually, I didn't come in here to ask that this time. I came to see if you needed any help?" he told her. She whipped round and felt her brother's forehead, and he pushed her away.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking to see if you had a temperature, you feeling okay?"

"Yes I'm fine thank you. I was just bored and wondered if you needed any help?"

"Miracles do happen," she smiled earning a frown from Kankurou. "Well could you lay the table for me please?" she asked as the brunette nodded.

The sound of the door opening caused both of them to shout, 'okaeri', and they received a 'tadaima' back.

Upon hearing her youngest brother enter the room, Temari turned round to see a small smile on his face, causing her to smile. She could see that Gaara liked it when they welcomed him home, and she enjoyed the time that the three of them spent together a family. As they sat down to eat Temari could still see the small smile, knowing that he liked their family time as much as she did.

_Okaeri I'm Home (Welcome Home, I'm home)  
>Daijoubu anata ga iru kara (It's alright because you are here)<br>Okaeri Sweet Home (Welcome back Sweet Home)  
>Mattete ne mou sugu tsuku kara (Keep waiting, because I'm arriving soon)<br>Sweet Home  
><em>

Gaara quickly raced across the desert, his team mates having a hard time keeping up with him. The mission had taken a lot longer than planned, and he hoped that his siblings weren't worried over him.

Temari sat on the sofa flicking through the channels, her line of sight flicking up to the clock above the TV every now and again. She then looked towards the door, wondering why Gaara wasn't home yet. The mission he had been sent on wasn't supposed to take this long, and she hoped that he hadn't been hurt.

Kankurou entered the room and sat beside his sister.

"Still no sign of Gaara?" he asked already knowing the answer, Temari shook her head. "Don't worry I'm sure he's just running late." Temari nodded hoping he was right.

The sound of the door opening caused the two siblings to jump up, when they saw Gaara enter the room they both said,

_"Okaeri."_

"Tadaima," he replied.

"Come on Gaara sit down you almost missed the movie," said Kankurou as he sat back down, Temari doing the same. The redhead sat in between them, glad that he had them to come home to; 'Tadaima _Sweet Home._'

* * *

><p>Hope you enjoyed the story<p>

Please R&R

Ja ne!

A-O


End file.
